Best Action Anime & Highly Anticipated 2021
The best action anime spanning across Anime history include immortal titles like Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, Tokyo Ghoul, Hunter x Hunter and Sword Art Online.
Action anime has always been a big hit within Japan as well as globally. In Animated form, anime can really capture the heartstopping moments of an epic battle, conveying it all to viewers in a splash of vivid colors, incredible choreography and engaging music. The thrills and shrills of battles are generally conveyed better in Anime than in Manga (though there are a few exceptions), which are highly mobile scenarios with badass poses and abilities as well.
2021 does not fall short of its epic Action anime cluster. There are multiple, highly anticipated Action Anime being released and set to release this year for eager Action Anime fans. Following is a look at what 2021 has in store, in no particular order.
Shaman King
Starting off the list is none other than Shaman King (2021). This Television Anime series is set to release in April 2021, Spring 2021. Production will be handled by King Records under Studio Bridge and the series will be based on the Manga of the same title, written by Hiroyuki Takei sensei. This series will be an alternative version of the original 64 episode series that ran from 2001 to 2005.It will adapt the 35 volumes of the manga’s complete edition and will provide the canonical ending as per the manga. It falls under the genres of Action, Adventure, Comedy, Superpower, Supernatural and Shonen.
The story looks at Shamans, who are special individuals capable of communicating with ghosts, spirits and gods, which are invisible to ordinary folk. This extraordinary group of people participate in a prestigious tournament held every five hundred years to determine the one and only Shaman King. Shamans from all over the globe are pitched against each other in a battle for supremacy, in hopes of attaining this overpowered title which bestows upon its current incumbent the ability to call upon the Great Spirit and then shape the whole world as they wish.
Manta Oyamada is an ordinary middle school student, who initially has nothing to do with Shamans. But as fate would have it, one day he finds himself late for class and opts to take a shortcut through the local cemetery. Here he runs into a lone boy sitting on a gravestone, who invites Manta to stargaze with “them”. This “them” turns out to be the boy and his ghost friends, after realizing which Manta is overcome with terror and flees the scene. This lone boy, named Asakura You is later revealed to be a Shaman-in-training and saves Manta from a group of thugs by teaming up with a six hundred year old Samurai ghost, named Amidamaru, in an epic display of his powers. Fully aware of Manta’s ability to see spirits, the two become friends and set off to accomplish Asakura’s goal of becoming the next Shaman King.
Bleach
Next up is one of the older Big 3 itself, Bleach. The return of Bleach has been hyped so much by fans worldwide, as their patience has been rewarded and the Manga’s final conclusive arc is finally getting animated. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Arc or Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen will adapt the final manga arc, which spans from Volume 55 to 74, concluding with the canonical manga ending. The series is confirmed to be released sometime this year, though exact dates are unknown. Produced by Shueisha, it follows the genres of Action, Adventure, Comedy, Superpower, Supernatural and Shonen. The story of Highschool Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki is continued in this final arc, where the peace and quiet of the Soul Society is abruptly broken by the blaring of warning sirens. Hollows are disappearing in stockpiles without a trace, with no clues pointing to a culprit. Ichigo and his friends in Karakura are experiencing the turning tide too as a dark shadow extends itself towards them. A mysterious group of warriors named the Wandenreich suddenly appears and goes on the offensive, causing Ichigo to run to Hueco Mundo to help his old friend Nel. The Wandenreich take the fight to Soul Society itself, threatening to bring it all down. An all-out-war is set in motion as the Shinigami and Quincy clash in a bloody final showdown.
Boku No Hero Academia
Boku no Hero Academia (My Hero Academia) Season 5 is also set to release this year on March 27th, Spring 2021. One of the new Big 3, this series features the genres of Action, Comedy, Superpower, School and Shonen. This Season will be done by Studio Bones as well and will mainly feature the Joint Training Arc from the Original manga. Class 1-A and Class 1-B are set to compete against each other in this Joint Training Battle. This arc highlights Hitoshi Shinso who is eager to enter the Hero Course and prove himself worthy of being a great hero. In the midst of this heated exercise, Modoriya Izuku discovers a shocking new secret about his quirk, One For All, which he inherited from All Might. This revelation, which had remained hidden, unknown to all eight previous owners of the quirk, turns the tide of the whole story!
The Rising of the Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 is set to release in 2021 as well. Production will be handled by Glovision and Studios Kinema, Citrus and DR Movie will be working on it. Based on the original dark fantasy Isekai Light Novel written by Aneko Yusagi, this series follows the genres of Action, Adventure, Drama and Fantasy. Protagonist Naofumi is on a journey to become the Shield Hero after getting Isekai-ed into a World threatened by Inter-dimentional Monsters called Waves. One of Four Heroes, he is the weakest in terms of Offensive ability, wielding only a Shield. Having grown up amidst hardship as opposed to the other three heroes, his battle in life is far from over. Owing to a lot of lies, betrayal and false accusations, he becomes a cynical loner with trust issues. But at the end of Season 1, he is shown to be the only one to have found true friendship amidst the chaos. Season 2 will feature the impending threats of heroes from other worlds and offer a tough challenge to the Four Heroes. Naofumi and his friends must continue to hone their skills to their maximum if they are to protect the world from the looming dangers.
Kimetsu No Yaiba
Kimetsu No Yaiba made the biggest splash in Anime back in 2019 and it is far from over. Though the manga has recently concluded, the Anime has a long way to go and fans are eager to see it. The Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie: Mugen Ressha-hen was released to theaters on 16th October 2020. Produced by Shueisha and Aniplex, it was the masterpiece of Studio Ufotable. It follows the genre of Action, Historical, Demons, Supernatural and Shounen. This movie is the canonical second arc from the manga, which covers chapters 54 to 69. As teased in the final episode of Season 1, Tanjirou Kamado, his sister Nezuko, friends Zenitsu and Inosuke from the Demon Slayer Corps accompany the Flame Pillar Kyoujurou Rengoku on board the Mugen train. They are to investigate the mysterious series of disappearances occurring on said train, which is suspected to be the handiwork of demons. Unknown to them, a demon tiers above an ordinary one is waiting for them there. Enmu, one of the Twelve Twelve Demon Moons, bearing the position of Lower Moon One has prepared a trap for them aboard this fateful train. The movie was a colossal success and now fans can look forward to the next Anime season of the series!
Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer): Yuukaku-hen has been confirmed to release sometime in 2021, by Studio Ufotable once again. It will feature the third arc of the manga, where Tanjiro and co accompany the Hashira Tengen Uzui, who is the Sound Pillar of the Demon Killing Corps. Set in the Entertainment district, Tengen’s female ninja agents are gathering information on a certain demon before suddenly disappearing. Not the kind of incident to huff at, the heroes must now disguise themselves as women to sneak in and investigate the incident.
The World Ends With You
The World Ends with You is set to release on April 10th this year, Spring 2021. Studio Shin-Ei Animation and Domerica are working on this series based on the Game. It follows the genres of Action and Adventure. Protagonist Neku Sakuraba is a 15 year old boy with a passion for Music and Graffiti. He wakes up in a Shibuya Shopping District look-alike of Tokyo, holding onto a strange Black Pin. He soon discovers that he is able to read the minds of others as the thoughts of the surrounding people start flooding his head, which he credits to the Black pin. He then receives a text message on a cell phone he presumes is his, saying “Reach 104. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure. -The Reapers.” Abruptly afterwards, a timer of 60 minutes gets imprinted on his right hand and he is left with no choice but to play the “Reapers’ Game” over a span of seven days. All the participants have a similar Black Pin with a Skull embedded on it.
Evangelion
Evangelion is a legend and now Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time was set to release on 8th March 2021. This is a film written and chief directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by Studio Khara. It is going to be the fourth and final film in the Rebuild Evangelion tetralogy, based on the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Produced by Klockworx, it features the genres of Action, Psychological, Drama, Mecha and Sci-Fi.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man is set to release sometime this year. Based on the original Manga, it will be handled by Studio MAPPA and will feature genres of Action, Adventure, Demons and Shonen. Denji did not want much in life, all he wanted was a happy peaceful life with a girl he likes. But fate was not so kind to him, because he ends up being forced to kill devils for the Yakuza in order to pay off his debts. His debt situation is so bad that he is ready to get his hands as bloody as necessary for cash, with his pet devil Pochita as a weapon. Yet, he is eventually deemed past his usefulness and is murdered by a devil contracted with the Yakuza. However his dead body somehow merges with Pochita, granting him the powers of a Chainsaw Devil. Now able to transform parts of his body into chainsaws, he is offered work at the Public Safety Bureau by the Official Devil Hunters. Powerful enough to face many kinds of enemies, Denji can now swiftly and brutally kill his enemies and will stop at nothing to fulfill his simple teenage dream.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Jujutsu Kaisen is truly an impactful anime this season. It started airing on October 3rd 2020 and is still ongoing. Studio MAPPA in conjunction with producers TOHO Animation, Shueisha and Dugout bring the manga to life in this anime of Action, Demons, Supernatural, School and Shonen. High School student Yuuji Itadori spends his days idly indulging in baseless paranormal activities at the Occult Club or visiting his bedreidden grandfather at the hospital. His laidback life takes a huge turn as he comes into contact with a cursed item. This triggers a chain of supernatural events and he finds himself in a World of Curses after swallowing this item, a place of eerie beings “Curses” born from human negativity. This item is later revealed to be a finger belonging to the Demon Sakuna Ryoumenm the “King of Curses”. Yuuji starts discovering the immense threats posed by the Curses as well as his new powers. In order to tread this new path, he joins the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School and trains to become a Jujutsu sorcerer.
More noteworthy Action anime of 2021 include Attack On Titan Season 4 (details of which are all over the internet these days), Castlevania Season 4 and Seven Deadly Sins – Season 5, all of which are currently airing or soon set to release this year. This year is jam packed epic Action anime for fans worldwide are guaranteed to deliver just that! If you’re a fan of the genre, make sure not to miss even one of these blood pumping, action packed series jam-packed with badass battles!
